Following up on my previous outfit posts in Napa (here and here), I’m sharing the full itinerary of our weekend trip. Before you visit Napa, make sure you do some research as many wineries require reservations or are by appointment only. We planned everything a few weeks in advance and had no problems making reservations at the wineries; although hotels and restaurants were more challenging. We went at the beginning of November, and I think fall is a lovely time to visit. The weather was great (80s and sunny) and there were certainly plenty of visitors, but it did not feel crowded. As a note: if you are planning to go in peak season (like summer), I would make reservations well in advance! Here’s our itinerary for how to spend the perfect weekend in Napa Valley!
Where to Stay:
We stayed at the Hampton Inn and Suites Napa. The location is a bit odd as it’s in the middle of a shopping complex, but it was fairly close to all of our destinations and a fine option for an affordable hotel.
If you’re not on a budget, I would recommend staying at Auberge du Soleil, Calistoga Ranch, Hotel Yountville, Meadowood Napa Valley, or Carneros Resort and Spa. They all look really lovely and I’ve heard great things about them!
Day 1
The day of my birthday, we drove up to Napa in the afternoon and had made reservations for a patio tasting at Domaine Carneros (reservations are required). Since there were three of us tasting, we opted to split the Sparkling Wine Sampler and the Grande Tasting along with a cheese platter. We had a great visit and enjoyed their wines. The winery is beautiful (it looks like a French chateau)! Although to be honest, I had been hoping it was possible to explore more of the property.
Following our tasting, we checked into our hotel, the Hampton Inn & Suites Napa. After settling in, we headed off to Farmstead at Long Meadow Ranch for dinner. It’s a cute restaurant and we really enjoyed the food, especially their grilled cabbage special and the gnocchi! I would definitely recommend coming by for dinner – make reservations in advance!
Day 2
First stop: Mumm
The next day, we started our full day of wine tasting at Mumm Napa (reservations recommended but not required). We made reservations for a patio tasting and had a nice table with great views of the surrounding vineyard. We chose to split two of their tastings and we really liked their sparkling wines, especially their Pinot Gris. Unfortunately, it turns out the Pinot Gris was only available for a limited time (glad we purchased a few bottles!). I’m hoping they will produce more next year!
As a note, the Oak Terrace tasting area also looked really nice and I might go for this option next time. They also have an art gallery on the property you can wander through with a glass of wine in hand. We enjoyed viewing the art from Ansel Adams and Todd Hido.
Second stop: Frog’s Leap
After we finished at Mumm, we headed to our next destination, Frog’s Leap (by appointment only), which is conveniently located just minutes away. We had booked a garden tasting, and we loved the experience – I would definitely come back! The wines are nice, but what I really loved was the property. It has a very casual feel and they let you simply wander around the entirety of the property while you enjoy your tasting. It had such a different feel from the typical sit down or tasting room experiences.
Third stop: Rombauer
When researching wineries for the trip, I knew that we would want to visit one that allows picnics. In Napa, these can be more rare than one might think. We found that Rombauer (by appointment only) offers first-come, first-served picnic tables for no additional charge (also a rarity!). We packed a picnic of fresh bread, crackers, cheeses, and fruit. Note: Oakville Grocery is a great local place to buy goods for a picnic! After our picnic, we went to the indoor bar for our scheduled tasting. I do wish they had an outdoor tasting option, but we had a nice time!
We took our time at each of the wineries, but you could easily fit in another tasting after this one. Two other wineries we had considered visiting were Sterling and Rutherford Hill, both fairly close to Rombauer.
We hadn’t made reservations that night for dinner and were in the mood for a casual place. Our server at Rombauer recommended Stone Brewing and Hop Creek – we decided to go to the latter and made a last minute reservation. The food is typical pub fare, but it was good!
Day 3
We checked out of our hotel in the morning and then headed to Domaine Chandon (reservations not required). The tasting bar was crowded so we elected to each order a glass of wine and roam the property. I would recommend bringing a picnic blanket, finding a spot on the grass, and purchasing a bottle to share (I personally enjoyed their Reserve Pinot Noir Rosé). Domaine Chandon definitely has a large-scale winery feel, but we had a nice, relaxing time and it was a good spot to end our trip. You could easily visit several more wineries on this day! As we were driving back home, we decided to just visit the one.
There you have it – that’s our itinerary for how to spend the perfect weekend in Napa Valley! I hope this is helpful if you’re planning your own Napa trip! If you have any favorite wineries/restaurants in Napa/Sonoma, please send them my way! We’re always looking for new places to visit.
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